Guides to Coursework and Assignments

PA 4.1.1 Attendance at lectures or other activities related to particular modules is obligatory.

PA 4.1.2 Classes should begin and end at the time assigned. Students coming late or having to leave early should in courtesy give their apologies to the lecturer.

PA 4.1.3 If a lecturer has not turned up 15 minutes into the time allocated for any lecture, it is to be presumed that that particular lecture has been cancelled.

PA 4.1.4 In the case contemplated in paragraph PA 4.1.3, the Class Representative is to inform the Academic Dean of the absence of the lecturer.

PA 4.1.5 Students who are unable to attend lectures for some serious reason should inform the Academic Dean and the lecturer(s) concerned before the lecture, if this is possible. If not, both the Academic Dean and the lecturer(s) are to be informed afterward of the reason for the absence.

PA 4.1.6 Students who, without serious reason, miss one third of their lectures will not receive credit for the module. In the case of a serious reason, arrangements for completion of the module may be considered on an individual basis.

PA 4.1.7 All students are expected to participate in their classes, attend lectures, take notes as may be required, contribute to class discussion, and make presentations if these are required.

PA 4.2 Module Requirements

PA 4.2.1 Lecturers must make known to the students all module content, methods of delivery and modes of assessment, specific outcomes, bibliography, and any other requirements and/or expectations preferably on the first day of class, or within the first two weeks of the semester at the latest.

PA 4.2.2 Lecturers may determine the requirements for each module within the guidelines of the Institute. They may assign a proportion of the final mark to the requirements, e.g. written or other assignment 50%, final examination 50%.

PA 4.2.3 The basic expectations of work that lecturers in a two-hour module may require include

a) class attendance
b) on-going review of class notes
c) required and related reading
d) class participation
e) a typed assignment of from 4 to 6 pages (excluding the Title page, the Declaration on Plagiarism, and the Bibliography page)
f) a written examination of two hours, or an oral examination of not less than 10 minutes per student.

PA 4.2.4 The basic expectations of work that lecturers in a three-hour or four-hour module may require are to be adjusted accordingly, but only in respect of paragraphs PA 4.2.3(e) and PA 4.2.3(f).

PA 4.2.5 Within these basic expectations, lecturers are free to vary the requirements according to their own designs, but requirements exceeding these limits must be cleared with the Head of Department who will consider them relative to the students’ overall module work.
PA 4.3 Assignments

PA 4.3.1 All written assignments must be typed.

PA 4.3.2 All written assignments must follow the regulations for presentation as set down in sub-section PA 4.4 of this General Prospectus.

PA 4.3.3 No student will be allowed to sit for examinations unless all module work and/or assignments are successfully completed and passed according to the proportion of the mark the assignment carries in relation to the final mark for the module as contemplated in paragraph PA 6.1.4.

PA 4.3.4 Students who, for a good reason, are unable to complete an assignment in the time given should approach the lecturer concerned before the due date for a possible extension of time.

PA 4.3.5 Generally, a two-hour module may require a paper of 4-6 pages, the title page, the Declaration on Plagiarism, and the bibliography page(s) not included. A three-hour or four-hour module may require a longer paper. This, however, is to be read in the light of paragraph PA 4.2.5.

PA 4.3.7 Plagiarism is a criminal offence. All module work must be that of the student submitting it. Texts which are copied from other authors without proper referencing, or texts copied from other students are unacceptable. This regulation is to be read and applied in the light of paragraphs PA 4.3.8 and PA 4.3.9.

PA 4.3.8 All written assignments or presentations are to carry, as a constitutive part of the work presented, the following Declaration on Plagiarism, signed and dated by the student, immediately after the title page of the assignment:

DECLARATION

I…………(NAME OF STUDTENT)……….. know that plagiarism is to use another’s work and present it as my own, and that this is a criminal offence.
Each significant contribution to and quotation in this essay from the work(s) of other people has been attributed and has been cited as such.
This assignment is my own work.
I have not allowed, and will not allow, anyone to copy my work with the intention of passing it off as their own work.
Signature…………………………….. Date:……………………..
PA 4.3.9 Plagiarizing Assignments

PA 4.3.9.1 Each instance of plagiarism must be reported by the lecturer to the Dean of Studies, who in turn will notify the student’s sponsoring authority.

PA 4.3.9.2 In the case of a second offence in this regard, a committee consisting of the lecturer in whose module the offence was committed, the Academic Advisor, the Head of the Department and the Academic Dean is to be convened by the Academic Dean to consider what steps need to be taken.

PA 4.3.9.3 The penalty for plagiarism may range from an initial formal warning to the student and to the student’s sponsors in writing, suspension of the student from the Institute for a minimum of one year, or the expulsion of the student from the Institute.

PA 4.3.10 As students advance they are expected to show in their work signs of progression, growth and confidence in personal thought and criticism.

4.4 Guide to Coursework & Assignments

PA 4.4.2 Lecturers are encouraged to offer students various types of assignments and encourage students’ creativity. Likewise lecturers are expected to be creative in designing assessment procedures that help students to explore the material from as many perspectives and methodological approaches as possible.

PA 4.4.3 Lecturers are to write comments on assignments, and return them to the students within four weeks of receiving them.

PA 4.4.4 English should be direct and intelligible. Content must be relevant to the subject under discussion.

PA 4.4.5 There must be evidence of a plan, and a logical development of ideas.

PA 4.4.6 Every assignment must have an introduction and a conclusion. A table of contents is always useful in a written paper, and sub-headings may aid logical ordering of ideas.

PA 4.4.7 Language should be inclusive and non-sexist. In this regard, reference should be made to the Language Policy of the Institute (Annexure 6).

PA 4.4.8 If, at the discretion of the lecturer, students are allowed to rework an assignment, the highest mark that can be given is 54%.